The UltraCMOS® PE42524 Sets a New Standard for RF SOI at High Frequencies and Offers Reliability and Performance Advantages Over Existing GaAs-based Solutions

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 5, 2015 — (PRNewswire) — Peregrine Semiconductor Corp., founder of RF SOI (silicon on insulator) and pioneer of advanced RF solutions, introduces the UltraCMOS® PE42524, the industry's first RF SOI switch to operate up to 40 GHz. This switch significantly extends Peregrine's high-frequency portfolio into frequencies previously dominated by gallium arsenide (GaAs) technology. As an alternative to GaAs-based solutions, the PE42524 features high reliability and performance advantages in linearity, isolation, settling time and ESD protection. These attributes make the switch ideal for test-and-measurement, microwave-backhaul, radar and military communications devices.

"As we further extend our high-frequency portfolio into microwave frequencies, Peregrine proves the capabilities and advantages of RF SOI technology," says Kinana Hussain, senior marketing manager. "Our UltraCMOS technology enables our high-frequency components, such as the PE42524, to reach performance levels previously considered unattainable in RF SOI. With a product roadmap that includes additional high-frequency components, Peregrine has, and will continue to, set new standards for RF SOI."

Peregrine's high-frequency switch portfolio, which includes 13 GHz, 18 GHz, 26.5 GHz and now 40 GHz products, is manufactured on Peregrine's UltraCMOS technology, a patented variation of SOI technology on a sapphire substrate. This sapphire substrate offers several key benefits significant to high-frequency design. Sapphire has a loss tangent that is 10 times better than bulk CMOS and three times better than GaAs. As an ultra high-resistivity substrate, sapphire provides high isolation and minimizes parasitic capacitances. The sapphire substrate eliminates many substrate-coupling effects, common in silicon-based substrates, offering RF system engineers exceptional levels of linearity and power handling performance.

Features, Packaging, Pricing and Availability
Peregrine's PE42524 is a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) RF switch die that supports a wide frequency range from 10 MHz to 40 GHz. It delivers exceptionally high port-to-port isolation, low insertion loss and excellent linearity. The switch exhibits 47 dB isolation and 2.2 dB insertion loss at 30 GHz, as well as 50 dBm IIP3 at 13.5 GHz. The PE42524 has a fast switching time of 225 nanoseconds, a fast settling time of 840 nanoseconds and a high ESD rating of 2000V HBM on all pins. Unlike GaAs solutions, no blocking capacitors are required if DC voltage is not present on the RF ports. The PE42524 is available as a flip-chip die with 500 microns bump pitch, which eliminates high-frequency performance variations due to bond wire length variances.

Samples, evaluation kits and volume-production parts are available now. Offered as a RoHS compliant, flip-chip die, the PE42524 is $40 each for 1K-quantity orders and $32.44 for 5K-quantity orders.

ABOUT PEREGRINE SEMICONDUCTOR
Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation, a Murata company, is the founder of RF silicon on insulator (SOI) and is a leading fabless provider of high-performance, integrated RF solutions. Since 1988 Peregrine and its founding team have been perfecting UltraCMOS® technology—a patented, advanced form of SOI—to deliver the performance edge needed to solve the RF market's biggest challenges, such as linearity. With products that deliver best-in-class performance and monolithic integration, Peregrine is the trusted choice for market leaders in automotive, broadband, industrial, Internet of Things, mobile devices, smartphones, space, test-and-measurement equipment and wireless infrastructure. A Murata company since December 2014, Peregrine holds more than 180 filed and pending patents and has shipped over 2 billion UltraCMOS units. For more information, visit
http://www.psemi.com.

The Peregrine Semiconductor name, logo, and UltraCMOS are registered trademarks of Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation in the U.S.A., and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.